Automobile headlight-turning device



Jan. 27, 1925. 1,524,351

a J. W. GALLOWAY AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT TURNING DEVICE Filed April 19. 1 4 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR:

v 15? c2- C1. v64

Patented Jan. 27, 1925. I

UNITED STATES JAMES W. GALLOWAY, OF WOLGOTT, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT-TURNING DEVICE.

Application filed April 19, 1924.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMns lV. GALLOVVAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wolcott, in the county of Wayne and State ofNew' York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile l-leadlight- Turning Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dirigible headlights for automobiles and other like vehides, the object of the invention being to provide simple, reliable and efficient means for rotatably supporting the headlights and coupling the same to the front steering gear of the vehicle, whereby the headlights will be turned with the front wheels to throw the rays of light therefron'i straight ahead at all times in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

, The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automobile embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the front axle and associated parts of the vehicle, one of the front fenders being omitted and the other partly broken away.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through one of the lamp supporting arms and associated parts.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the adjustability of the lamp on its supporting arm.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the rying bracket.

Figure 6 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of the connecting rod uniting the lamp supporting arms.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of one of the lamp supporting arms.

Figure 8 is a similar view of the other lamp supporting arm.

Figures 9 and 10 are top plan views of the right and left hand supporting brackets.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the chassis frame of the vehicle, 2 the front axle, 3 the steering knuckles carried thereby, 4-. the front wheels, 5 the steering rod coupling the knuckles for simultaneous movement, 6 the front fenders, and 7 braces connecting said front fenders with the chassis frame 1. The steering rod 5 is coupled in the usual or any approved manlamp car- Serial no. 707,747.

nor to the steering post of the vehicle, the steering post and associated parts for trans nntting motion thereto being omitted as not essential to a disclosure of my invention.

The headlights 8, which may be of any ordinary or approved type, are provided upon their bases with attaching plates 9, bolted or riveted thereto, which attaching plates rest upon and are carried by swinging lamp supporting arms 10. The headlights 8 are mounted by the attaching plates upon the rear ends of said arms, which are coupled at their forward ends for swinging movement in unison by a connecting rod 11. The plates 9 are provided with hen'iispherical portions 9, the concaved surfaces of which engage the convex surfaces of hemispherical bosses 10 formed on the rear ends of the arms 10. Bolts 9 carried by the portions 9 extend through-slots 10 in the portions 10 and are provided with clamping nut-s for holding the brackets 9 in adjusted position. The bolts 9 are adjustable in the slots 10 to permit of a. desired backward or forward tilting of the lamps 8 for focusing adjustment, as illustrated, for example, in Figure 4.

The arms 10 are centrally pivoted and supported upon brackets 12 each having a rear arm 13, a forwardly projecting arm 14, and an inturned frontentremity 14L, the arms 13 and 1a being arranged substantially at an oblique angle to each other. The arms 13 of the respective brackets 12 are bolted, riveted or otherwise suitably fastened to the fender braces 7, and the arms 14% of said brackets thence project beneath the lamp supporting arms 10 and are provided with hemispherical bearing members 15, the convex surfaces of which seat within and engage the concaved faces of similarly formed bearing bosses 16 on the arms 10, whereby the arms 10 are centrally pivoted for swinging move ments, laterally of the vehicle, upon the fixed bracket arms 14. The bearing me1nbore 15 are provided with bearing sleeves 15 engaging bearing openings 16 in the bearings 16, and bolts 15 pass through the bearing members 15 and their sleeves 15 and hold the parts properly assembled. These bolts are provided at their lower ends with retaining nuts and have headed upper ends resting on the upper surfaces of the sleeves 15 and bearing members 16, such construction allowing the arms 10 to swing freely substantially Z'shaped on the Wear sustaining sleeves Without 18 t6 the Stee in qdfi /,Wh si ite at s rw d 61 th a ta-. 9, by; sh ld end of kets? s t a iil rjointit 9 1 V a c nk are termed 0ih v flpon bs forward end of one,of the la np supporting arms In'practice the connecting rod 11 inay beprovided .yvith socket nembers ll engailfg ball members 10 on the arms 10, 'the; consti:uctio11 and arrangement being' such that movements in one directionjor the other of the stee -ring rod 5 will effect a forward or backward movement of the rod, 17 which rod, thron V the cranl; connectionfio; Will transmit lateral swinging inov e mentsgin one direction or the o'ther to ihe lamp carrying arms; 10 and lamps car- Tied i P 926 23 whe e y.v the l mp w l i b swung in the direction of,turning m'otion of the v vheels. ,By means ot the articulati ing dnn e ti0:1 1 l9?20 aloetvqeen the rod and the la psup 't @ImS. a free and easy movement of these parts is secured and lateral movement transmitted to the ainp icarrying Without any irregula r or jerky; actions.

be we th he the lampswill be n1'ount ecl-. i1 1 such manner P 4 ah z eh le as t t .au em t c ly with the front steering wheels in the act ng tion of the latter the steering.- mechanism, d that; th j ans.,p '0 d d i 7 St rin and the lamps consists of ,a very 1 1 !1 I 1bQI of P ts i t te; a d l p r 1, P r.

mum im b o mov n ticularg vvhereby a lamp turning mechanism of simple, reliable and eificienttype is pro; duced which :llli ty be manufactured, insta d.mai ta ne Q ki e Order a mra tafi ys y; .l' v c t-- Al it l be seen thatthe construction employing bear s mem er sf t ef -ap d cr d. lie-$ that smooth andreasy working motion of the lamp w 'b o ai d. notw h tandin the simplicity of theconstructipn and com; paratively, small number of partsemployed.

The l i 'li d 1. a her in, QW s c0up led d ire ct ly to the connecting rod a 5, Which'is an arrangement suitable for Ford cars, but vother makes of cars the rod 17 may coupled to the connecting arm ofthe steeringgear, as Will be readly un'derstood ng mechanisnr to the steer ng wear, eipg hicles, the combination with alvehiclerframe ll havlnga front axle,

v parting steering motion thereto fro nt en .rvitlrthechassis frames of the vehicle,, of supporting ln'ackets a n arryi n a b in P w la p =zs pp tin c-b fe k a h v nsi wi l 5 pr the g bracket, lainps I provided wit hearing portions having their ing brackets having hemispherical jport ons each provided with a bearing 5 hemispherical i bearing receiving the bearing these methods of connecting the lamp turn held to be mechanichal equivalents 0 one another, the first-named being shown for purposes ofexemplification merely and as 7 a matter of convenience.

Having thus fully described my invention I l m, a

1. Ina headlightturning device for veont eering wheels a steer ng rod 7 connecting said wheels for un- -ders, -and braces connecting said vfen havin rear.:arms ,ar:

ranged substantially at rig1t angles to; line of the vehicle and secured tosaidhi'aces e and having front arms extending inwardly! and forwardlyat an angle and terminating N in inwardly extendingextremities lying sphstantially parallel with said rear arms carryingarms pivotally mounted interwa diate their, ends upon the inti lrned: Emmi ties of the brackets; lamps supported upon the rear ends .of said lamp carrying arm s, a connecting rod ..coupling the front en of said lamp carrying arms, one of sin ;,V k Wi hcranlg meinber anda connecting rod. tween said crank member and a part of the steering rovi mechanism ofth e frontwheels.

2. In a dirigible.headlight bi spherical bearing. portions laf Carried {ea arm an hemispherlml aring p t o i intermedtqleav a an .--t;. r remispherical bearing, ortion the p be ri 's rert n g ing emispherical beam the .cpnvexifabe portiongofithqm sm s ssisal e e a-ii I engaging the convex faces of the rear hem1-,, l spherical bearing portions of thev brackets and adjustably connected therewith a nectionbetv een the. forward ends of .the u 1-; v n unison, andnieans for cpnnectingqnq of 1 saidlamp carryin ,,arms v ith a part of the v steering gear of the vehicle. 5 M 3.wIn, a dirigible headlight,lamp support- 8 ON I p eevp ,120 e gtendin'gfrom the. convex face thereof, a, lamp supporting. arm mounted on,,eiiqh bracket, each arm having vanv intermediate,

surface and ament a hemispherical bearing surface, the sai .intermediate b earing surface of ezichnrm, lav

l @m'r fs arm a p th m- W v e? i i n v f e e ngth -conve surfaceof the hemispherical bearlngportmh. a and bracketand provided withanope sleeve thereof, a fin passing through the hemispherical bearing portion of the bracket and the sleeve and having a headed end overlying the sleeve and intermediate hemispherical bearing sur faee of the arm, lamps provided with hemispherical bearing surfaces having their concave faces engaging the convex faces of the rear hemispherical bearing portions of the arms and adjustably connected therewith, a connection between the front ends of the lamp carrying arms adapting the same to swing in unison, and connecting means between one of said lamp carrying arms and a part of the steering mechanism of the vehicle.

4. In a dirigible headlight, supporting brackets provided each with a hemispherical bearing portion having a bearing sleeve extending upwardly-from the convex face thereof, lamp supporting arms mounted upon the bearing brackets, each lamp sup porting arm having an intermediate hemispherical bearing surface, the intermediate hemispherical bearing surface of each arm having its concave face engaging the convex face of the bearing portion of the bracket and provided with an opening re ceiving the sleeve thereof, and a rear hemispherical bearing surface of each arm being provided with an elongated slot, a bolt passing through the hemispherical bearing portion of each bracket and its sleeve and having a headed end overlying the sleeve and convex surface of the intermediate l1emispherical bearing portion of the arm supported thereby, a lamp supported by each arm and provided withahemispherical bearing portion having its concave surface engaging the convex face of the rear hemispherical bearing portion of the arm, a bolt passing through the hemispherical bearing surface of each lamp and adjustably engaging the slot in the rear hemispherical bearing surface of the lamp supporting arm, a connection between the forward ends of the lamp supporting arms adapting them to swing in unison, and connecting means between one of said arms and a part of the steering mechanism of the vehicle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES W. GALLOWAY. 

